I’ve never had a good nickname.

I tried giving myself one (Izzy) not that long ago but that came to a quick end as soon as a co-worker picked up my labelled bottle of water and asked me why they hadn’t met the new girl working at the office.

Sigh.

I was bouncing a lot of ideas around when iFat was in it’s formative and less chubby phase. I knew there were a glutton of food blogs on the internet and gaining any sort of traction was going to be difficult. I thought about making a blog based around reviewing burger joints and chrsitening myself ‘The Burgerfiend.”

That didn’t happen because I saw a tonne of really good burger blogs in the aether and I told a friend about the Burgerfiend idea and they burst out laughing like someone watching ‘The Hangover’ for the first time. I retired the moniker and went with iFat instead.

However, it’s time to bring the Burgerfiend out of retirement. I received an invitation from Charlie & Co Burgers to try their new menu and I jumped at the chance.

(Disclaimer: This meal was generously provided for by Charlie & Co but the opinions expressed are solely my own).

I brought a friend along and we arrived in the midst of Westfield Sydney’s lunch rush. Fortunately, this gave me and my amigo time to figure out what we wanted. I’ve visited Charlie & Co previously and there was one item I knew that had to be mine. Everything else was like George Clooney, Anna Kendrick and Vera Farigma: Up in the Air.

By the time we reached the front of the line, we had decided on what we wanted for lunch.

Another disclaimer; prior to today’s lunch, the Burgerfiend hadn’t had a full meal in about a day due to a combination of work, helping friends pack and pure laziness.

First off, the essential choice of everyone who ever gets to visit Charlie & Co: The Parmesan and Truffle Fries:

Someday, I’ll dedicate an entire blog entry to who has the best fries in Sydney (perhaps the world) and Charlie & Co’s offering will definitely make the list.

I look back upon the first time I tried these deep fried delights as fondly as the day my first nephew was born. Now I know what you’re thinking, you’re thinking that Isaac just compared the birth of his own flesh and blood to some fries. He obviously doesn’t like his nephew very much.

That’s not true; I just really love these fries.

By the way, get some aioli on the side for an extra burst of goodness. My friend and I got a tub each and she barely finished her tub….which resulted in me smuggling it away in my bag.

I have no shame.

So, did you have a guess at which burger I opted for?

If you guessed the Mighty Charlie Burger, you are correct!

Yes, it’s a picturesque burger and we all know a picture says a thousand words. However, a photo tastes like paper and is never as good as the real thing.

The Mighty Charlie Burger was a mammoth of a burger. I have grown man hands and the burger made me feel like a toddler going ten pin bowling for the first time. I’m going to be very honest my friends, I felt very emasculated due to the fact that I couldn’t get a full bite of this postcard-worthy burger and had to nibble on the bottom bun for a little while in order to allow me to sink my teeth into the patty and it’s roommates.

Also upon first pick up, the delicious juices within the burger started pouring out like they had plans to meet my plate for lunch. The Mighty Charlie Burger is another member of the ‘you can’t put me down once you start eating me’ club. In other words, it’s the burger equivalent of Dan Brown books you can buy at airports that you just can’t put down.

There were so many different textures and flavours at work that it felt like there was a party in my mouth. I don’t get invited to many parties but it felt like quite the doozy if I do say so myself. I really liked the dressing on the mixed leaf lettuce that added a touch of sourness you never get in burgers.  Another tidbit is that the egg was so nicely cooked with a gooey yolk that I cook for myself at home minus the burning down my house component. The bacon wasn’t as crispy as I was hoping it would be but I stuffed some fries in my mouth and replicated the desired feeling quite quickly.

Oh the patty. That glorious patty. Cooked medium to well done, it’s the quarterback of the team which the relish work so hard to make look good. It was quite large as it was almost bulging out of the burger in a sort of ‘hey, I’m the star of the show here‘ sort of manner. My only regret is that I didn’t have bigger hands to accompany a bigger mouth to fully enjoy this burger experience. You can eat it with a knife and fork but it’s just not the same.

My friend ordered the fish of the day burger:

Here’s what she had to say about it:

“It was a bit bland but I liked the flakey texture of the fish. I wish it had been a crumbed piece of fish as opposed to just being grilled. The bun was really soft and fluffy the way I like it. The gherkins helped but some flavour was definitely missing.”

I only had a bite of her fish burger but I noticed that the fish patty was practically minuscule in comparison to my behemoth slab of wagyu beef. I quite enjoyed the flakey texture of the fish as well and I can wax poetical about that mixed leaf lettuce. I thought the gherkins and aioli added quite a punch but hey, this stuff has always been subjective and will continue to be.

Here’s the TL; DR for everyone who just wanted to find out the true identity of the Burgerfiend:

– The Burgerfiend is back.

– I get invited to places! Yay!

– Parmesan and truffle fries are deep fried miracles coated with cheese

– Don’t eat a burger with a knife and fork

Charlie & Co Burgers, CBD (Now open in Singapore as well!)

86-100 Market Street, Westfield Sydney

Opening Hours:

 

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